Water quality data tells important stories about our lakes, rivers, and streams.

But making sense of the data can sometimes be a challenge. What does a measurement actually tell us about the water? How can we turn numbers in a spreadsheet or data platform into knowledge that can be shared and understood?

These questions were at the heart of the work that inspired our Monitor’s Guide to Water Quality, and they continue to inspire DataStream today.

The Guide grew out of our partnership with the Government of Northwest Territories and communities in the North. Together, we saw an opportunity to make water quality information more accessible and help build confidence in using data to understand local waters.

Now, we’re bringing that resource to life in a new way.

DataStream is excited to launch a series of animated videos exploring 26 of the water quality parameters most frequently monitored by communities. From arsenic, mercury and pesticides to dissolved oxygen, turbidity, temperature, pH and conductivity, the videos offer an approachable introduction to what each parameter is, why it matters, and how it is measured.

The series builds on the Guide’s goal of helping people turn data into understanding and action-connecting local insights to the bigger picture of freshwater health

And that bigger picture matters. Water quality data is not just about numbers. It is about places, observations, questions, knowledge and the people who care for their waters. By making information easier to understand and share, we hope these videos can support conversations within communities and help more people engage with water quality monitoring.

This project was made possible through funding from The Chawkers Foundation with French translation supported by Echo Foundation, whose support is helping us make water quality knowledge more accessible to communities and learners.

We invite you to explore the Guide, watch the new videos, and discover what water quality data can tell us about the waters around us.

The Guide is available online, as a free downloadable PDF, or for purchase as a booklet.